Trolley-line construction.



J. W & E. C. FAWKES. TROLLEY LINE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 11, 1911.

1,019,621 Patented Mar.5,1912.

PATENT cr mes.

rosnrn W. rAw -ns'ANn EMMA c. rAwKns, or BURBANK, oamroimm.

rnonnnmnmn eonsrmuo'rrolv.

. fornia, have invented new and useful Iniprovements in Troliey-Line Constructions, of "WillCll the following is a specification.

This invention relates 'to improvements 1n railroad construction, and has particular or guideways "tor reference to railroads aerial vehicles or the like.

The present invention is particularly designed to an improvement upon the mechanism disclosed in our previous application s. N. 613,242 filed, March 9,1911.

It is an object of the invention, among other things to increase the rigidity and lateral strength of the mechanism shown in' said previous application, the aerial guideway.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of an aerial railroad line con structed in accordance with the present in vention. Fig. 2 is a detail View showing one of the rails of the line in cross section, the adjacent portions of. the supporting and strengthening means therefor being shown in side elevation. Fig. 3 a top plan'view of one of the supporting arms of the straw and thus improve tore, the connection of the bracing means therefor beii'ig illustrated. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of'the line structure opposite one of the posts showing the end of oneof the supporting arms and the bracing means adjacent thereto. Fig. 5 is an en larged detail sectional View the guide rails and tion the thereto. v

Referring to the drawing 1 indicates supportingposts or pillars yvhich are provided with broad braces for the portions 2 and having transverse suf 'vporting beams 3 fixed to their upper ends. Inclined braces 4: brace the outer ends of said transverse beams.

The ends of the said transverse beams are ada ted to carry guide ralis 5 winch are pro erabiy formed of T irons having their Web portions 6 turned inwardly and an ranged in horizontal position upon the ends Specification of Letters Patent. Application and May 11, 19,11.

through one of" showing in side eleva portion of a truss standard applied l atented Serial No. 626,50?

of the transverse beams 3 while-their are extended in vertical planes.-

The rails 5 extend from post to post and are preferably made long enough tdextend opposite more than one post 1, so-thafitheir meeting ends may be arranged to break joints with respect to each other by means of diagonal brace rods 7 and S which extend between the opposite ends of adjacent trans- Mar. 5,1912 a flanges verse bars as clearly shown 'in- Fig. 1 and have turn-buckles or other tlghtenlng means 9' interposed in their length for making them taut. i -Th.e web portions 6 of the rails hare pref erably rested upon the end. portions of the transverse bars '3 which have been reduced.

to form recesses for receiving the same, and brace holding plates lOand 11 are usually arranged beneath the said web portions 'while top plates 12 are applied upon the upper surface of the said webs G and the adjacent upper surface of the transverse bars 3 is clearly shown. in Fig. 1. The holts which secure the braces 7 and 8 usually also pass through the inner cnds of the plates 12 and the adjacent portions of the tranrrerse beams 3 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The rails 5 are preferably strongly trussed at intermediate portions and for th ourpose depending trusses are formed con rising truss rods" 13 which have hooks 14: .at their ends for engaging eyes in. the plates '10 and Whicld'are c' nnected by turnbuokles 15 at suitable points. Some of the said truss rods pass through apertures formed. in the plates 11 where the rails break 13' oint. Struts .16 are interposed between the truss rods 13 and the Webs 6 of the rails so as to oii'er support atintermediate points along the length of the rail, .the structureheing' simiiarto that described in our above referred to.

It is also desirable in *sonie instances to further strengthenthe railroad construction and for this reason we contemplate in the present invention the provision of additional rail supporting and stiffening means. As shown inthe' drawing short standards 17 previous application 3 are mounted upon the ends of the transverse beams 3 and are usually placed directly upon the plates 12.

As. indicated in Figs. fiend 4 long tag screws erboits 18 maybe passed,

upwardly through the ends of the beams and throughatlie websG of the beams and through the plates 12and into the lower ends ofnth'e said standards li, thus firmly holding the said standards in position upon the said plates 12..'\

The upper ends (if the standards 17 are braced by means of inclined brace rods 21 which extend from points'near the upper ends of the standards 17 to the'webs 6 of the rails. These brace rods are also provided with tightening means such as turn buckles 22 so that the parts may be tightly adjusted in position. X

i The uipper. ends of the standards 17 are provide 'with notches or grooves 23 which are designed to receive suspension rods 24. These rods extend from standard to standard and rest in the said grooves 23. Adjacent ends of the rods are usually secured together by suitable couplings as forinstance turnbuckles shown at 25. At intermediate points the suspension rods 24 are connected with the rails by means of hangers 26 which have eyes 27 at their upper ends adapted to be slipped upon the said rods 24 and are bolted or otherwise secured at their lower ends to the Webs of the said rails 5 as clearly shown in the drawing. .The said hangers are preferably. formed in two parts connected byan intermediate coupling such as a turn-buckle shownat 28 and the lower membeir of each hanger is provided with ,a foot 29 adapted to rest upon the Webb of the rails 5, aprojection extending below the said foot being adapted to engage a perforation or aperture formed in the Web 6 i as indioatedin dotted lines at 30. The

lower member of each of said hangers is also usually provided with a laterally pro jecting bolt portion 31 which passes through an aperture 32 formed in the upper flange of the T iron forming the rail and a nut 33 is applied to the outer end thereof. This structure which is clearly shown in Fig. 5 operates to greatly stifien the parts and to prevent any likelihood of the flange of the rail turning over. It will Le understood that one or more of such hangers may be interposed between adjaccnt standards 17 but we preferably employ a ,plural1ty of standards so as to thoroughly stifien and strengthen the intermediate portions of the rails 5 in connection with the truss applied to the under side of the rails.

A guiding rail structurefor a vehicle of any kind such as is provided by the flanges of the rails 5 described is adapted to afford a strong and unyielding elevated rail, and the peculiar mounting of 'the same con-' tributes to its stifiness in lateral directions as well as in vertical directions.

\Vhat we claim is;

l. A railroad line construction, comprising vehicle supporting and guiding rails, posts for the same, transverse beams on said posts, and suspension means carried by the ends of said beams, and extending longitudinally above said rails for supporting and stiffening the same at intermediate points. v

2. A. railroad lineconstruction comprising vehicle guiding rails, posts supporting the same at intervals, and having transverse arms carried thereby, standards projecting from the ends of said arms, and suspension means held by the said standards and connected with the guide rails at intermediate points.

3, A railroad line construction, compris ing posts, beams mounted thereon, angle rails mounted upon the ends of said beams, standards also'carri'ed by the said beams, rods suspended upon said standards and hangers connecting the rods with the flanges of the said angle irons for supporting them -at intermediate points.

4. An aerial line construction, comprising posts having transverse heads, angle beams mounted thereon, angle rails secured to the heads, vstandards also carried by the said heads and braced with respect to thehcads' and the angle bars, suspension rods extending from standard to standard, hangers carried by the saidextensioii rods and having foot port-ions secured to the flanges of the angle bars, and laterally extending braces carried by the foot'portions and connected with other flanges of said angle bars.

A railway line construction comprising posts having supporting cross beams, standards mounted upon the ends thereof, T irons secured to the ends of said beams, suspension rods extending from the top of one standard to the top of the next standard and so on, hangers slipped upon the said suspension rods, and having foot portions being provided with bases adapted to be fastened to the webs of the said T irons, lateral. arms being provided on the said lower portions and extending through apertures in the vertical flanges of the said T irons'for bracing the T irons laterally as well vertically and turnbuckles connecting the hangers with said foot portions.

6. A railroad line construction for aerial vehicles, comprising supporting posts hav ing transverse bear'ns mounted thereon, T irons, guide rails secured upon the-cnds of the said beams having their webs arranged longitudinally and secured to the ends of said beams and their flanges arraiiged Verti- For iui-ilwi:istiffening the structure.

wally, trusses applied to the under sides of In Witness that We claim the foregoing We 10. said webs for stiffening the interinodiate have hereunto subscribed our names this 1st poi-Mons, of the T irons, standards extending day of May, 1911. upwardly from the beams and having notches in their upper ends, suspension rods wsiing in said notches and hunger bars conmul'inv [he suid suspQnsinn rods with the webs of the T 'il'ODS at intermediate points J. W. FAW'KESL F. G. FAVVIIES.

Witnesses EDMUND A. STRAUSE,

EARLE RMPOLLARD. 

